24 May 2013, Kuta-Bali: The Asian Surfing Championships is delighted to announce the addition of the Oakley Pro Bali Trials as a Premium event for the 2013 season, which will see one Indonesian wildcard earning a spot in the upcoming ASP World Championship Tour event, the Oakley Pro Bali, that will take place in Bali from June 18-29.
An honor and a privilege awarded to only a handful of surfers each year, the winner of the ASC sanctioned Oakley Pro Bali Trials will go on to test himself against the world’s top 34 pro surfers at Bali’s high performance righthander of Keramas coming up in June, after pocketing a nice cash prize of $2,500 and valuable ASC championship points. Also of significant importance is the fact that this trials event will be the 3rd event of the 2013 ASC season, so all rankings going forward after this event will be purely from 2013 events, which is critical in the chase for the 2013 ASC championship.
The Oakley Pro Bali Trials will run from June 14-17, and as an ASC Premium event will see the ACS’s top 16 ranked pro surfers joined by 6 special invitees, one Canggu local and one Keramas local, which will round out the 24 man heat draw. The plan is to begin the competition at the backup location of Canggu on June 14th, wave conditions permitting, with the goal of ending at Keramas for the finals on the 17th, the day prior to the official opening day of the Oakley Pro Bali on the 18th. As in year’s past with the Oakley World Pro Junior series, there will be a Balinese ceremony at the beach to open and bless the event.
“We are really excited and very thankful to Oakley for not only giving our Indonesian surfers a wildcard spot in their event but also for stepping up and funding it as a Premium event. It is such a great opportunity for the boys and welcome addition to our 2013 tour season,” said ASC President Tipi Jabrik, who himself will also be competing in the trials as he currently ranked number 2 in the ASC’s Top 16. “We want to see our best Indonesian surfers competing for that wildcard, so in addition to the Top 16 we will also be inviting some of the guys that aren’t regularly competing such as Rizal, Bol, and a few others. In addition, out of respect to the generous locals who are sharing their waves with us, we are giving the Canggu-Pererenan and Keramas surfing communities each a wildcard into the trials,” he added.
Current ASC ratings leader Garut Widiarta was all smiles when he heard the news about the Oakley Pro Bali Trials. “That’s so sick, I can’t wait,” he exclaimed. “So we’re not only competing for the wild card spot but get prize money and ASC points too? I’m ready, is all I can say. I’ve got a super good board right now, the one I got second with at Lances Right a couple of weeks ago, its working really good going right or left, so I think my chances are pretty good.” When asked what it would mean to him to win the wild card spot he replied, “Wow man, that would be so sweet and it would make me so proud. It would be my second wildcard into a WCT, the first one I got into the Search event in 2008, but I didn’t have to win a trials event to get it. So I’m really looking forward to earning this one, and since Oakley has been one of my sponsors for years, it would be that much better. Let’s do it!”
Oakley has been producing ASP-sanctioned World Pro Junior events in Bali for 6 years now, including the history-making crowning of the men’s and women’s ASP Pro Junior World Champions last year.
“Surfing has been deeply entrenched in Oakley’s heritage since the mid 1980’s and we are proud of our legacy in the sport,” Scott Bowers, Oakley SVP Global Sports Marketing, said. “This evolution has been in the making for many years; preceded by a number of specialty surfing events in Bali from surf shop challenge and pro junior events to crowning the ASP World Junior Champion last year. We are eager to finally introduce a game-changing WCT event and showcase the sport’s top talent on the world stage with the inaugural Oakley Pro Bali.”
The Oakley Pro Bali will be Stop No. 5 of 10 on the 2013 ASP World Championship Tour season and run from June 18 – 29, 2013 and will be webcast LIVE via www.oakleyprobali.com
Stay tuned to future updates announcing the list of Oakley Pro Bali Trial special invitees, and you will be able to follow the trials and find more information on Facebook at Asian Surfing Championship (ASC) and a www.asiansurfingtour.com.
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